Related Articles

While airline miles used to be the preserve of frequent business travelers, today almost anyone can earn enough miles for a free trip, because there are so many more mile-earning opportunities. Nowadays you can accumulate frequent flyer miles not only by flying, but also by shopping and using your credit card.

History

American Airlines was the first airline to unroll its frequent flyer program in May 1981. American Airlines compiled a list of 150,000 of its best customers who became the first members of its AAdvantage program. Other US airlines--such as Delta, United and TWA--quickly followed suit within months. Foreign carriers were less enthusiastic about joining the fray, because they felt that such loyalty programs and the rebates that went along with them would dilute their exclusive image. However, when they began to lose market share to their US competitors, they introduced frequent flyer programs of their own. Today most full-service airlines have a frequent flyer program.

How to Sign Up

There are two ways to enroll in a frequent flyer program. Either fill out and mail the form available at the check-in counter at the airport or fill out an online form on the airline's Website. Once your application is processed, you will receive a membership card in the mail. Membership is free, and you can be a member of several frequent flyer programs at the same time. There are are three major airline alliances: oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, each based around a major US airline. If you become a member of a frequent flyer program in each of the three alliances, you will have most of the world's leading airlines covered.

Earning Miles

Flying on the airline associated with your frequent flyer program or a partner airline is the primary means of earning miles. The higher the class of travel and the fare, the more miles you earn per trip. Enter your frequent flyer number when reserving your flight and show your membership card when checking in at the airport. It is also possible to request retroactive credit for a flight, usually within the past six months, by sending your boarding passes to the address on the frequent flyer program's Website. Many frequent flyer programs also have point earning opportunities with non-airline partners, such as credit cards, car rental companies, hotels, restaurants and even online shops.

Spending Miles

Once you have accumulated enough miles, you can redeem them for plane tickets, upgrades to a higher class of travel or other prizes, either on the frequent flyer program's Website or by telephone. Some people prefer to donate their miles to charity. Be aware that your reward flight won't be completely free. You still have to pay taxes and fees, but some frequent flyer programs will waive them for additional miles.

Elite Status

Most frequent flyer programs have several tiers of membership designed to offer more perks to the best customers. You start out with a basic membership and move up to elite status once you have made the requisite amount of flights in a year. To maintain your elite status, you must continue to make frequent flights. The benefit given to elite members include mileage bonuses, priority check-in and access to the business class lounges.

Tips for Maximizing Your Miles

Most airline miles expire if your account is inactive for a period of time that varies among different programs. Even if you don't fly very often, you can still keep your account active while accruing miles by signing up to the credit card associated with your frequent flyer program. Usually, there's an annual fee, but you earn miles by making purchases with the credit card, thereby bringing you even closer to a free ticket. Many frequent flyer programs, have mile-earning opportunities that don't involve travel. For example, AAdvantage's eShopping Mall allows you to earn miles by shopping at hundreds of brand name online retailers. Similarly, you can earn points by dining at participating restaurants through its Dining Program.

References

About the Author

Tatyana Reznichenko is a writer, translator and interpreter based in Paris who has been writing since 2000. Her articles have appeared in "The Medical Herald" and "Leg Show." Tatyana holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Columbia University and has a master's degree in conference interpreting.

Have Feedback?

Thank you for providing feedback to our Editorial staff on this article. Please fill in the following information so we can alert the Travel Tips editorial team about a factual or typographical error in this story. All Fields are required.